Love Marriage
by V. V. Ganeshananthan
This debut novel tells the story of Yalini, a young woman who was born in the United States to parents who grew up in Sri Lanka. What makes her parents special is that they had a Love Marriage. They fell in love and decided to marry on their own. Their relationship was not Proper in that family did not make the arrangements for them. Because of this, there was heartache, albeit short-lived due to the distance, for both families. Yalini’s maternal uncle Kumaran went so far as to confront Yalini’s father’s family. When Kumaran comes to the Canada with terminal cancer, Yalini confronts the past not only of her family, but of Sri Lanka as well.
Before reading this novel, I knew very little about Sri Lanka. Learning about the history of this small nation was the most interesting part of this novel. Although I very much remember the terrible tsunami which hit there very recently, I was very interested in history that has taken place in Jaffna. I found the story relating to the Tamil Tigers very interesting and I plan to read more about them on my own.
Overall, I found the prose to be very self-conscious. I always felt the author’s presence and because of that, I never got lost in what could have been an engrossing story. I believe that this story would have flowed so beautifully if it were allowed free from Ganeshananthan’s tight control over style.
Despite the issues I had with the writing, this book is an example of what can make reading fiction so powerful – igniting a reader’s desire to learn about someone or something new. Encouraging personal growth is no small accomplishment. I would recommend this novel to anyone who might be interested in Sri Lanka, most specifically about the Tamil Tigers.
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To buy this book, click here.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
by Lynne Truss
Never before have I read a book about grammar or punctuation that regularly made me laugh out loud until I picked up this book. Although it is about grammar and punctuation it, in a way, reads like a great memoir. I had so much fun reading this book that I’m sad that it’s over. I can’t believe I’m writing this even as I’m writing it. This book makes me glad and somewhat proud that I care about such things at all.
Several things made me laugh out loud. The story of the gentleman who was hanged on a comma was just terrific. I can’t believe that someone actually tried to argue that he didn’t commit treason based upon the comma placement in the law. It was absolutely hilarious. Who could have thought that a punctuation mark might have created a technicality like that? Can you imagine hanging all your hopes on that? Poor, poor fellow. In addition to the stories, I often laughed when Truss later used them in her examples. She told the story of a pen pal she had from Michigan (that caught my attention). She didn’t have a high opinion of this American because of her penmanship and grammar, but looking back as an adult, she has deep remorse for the way she wrote to her. After the story she moved on and I had put the forsaken Michigander out of my mind. At the end of the chapter she used her pen pal in an example that made me laugh out loud and startle my children. How wonderful is that for a book about punctuation?
As much as I loved this book, I am certain that my writing would not live up to Truss’ standards. I don’t know that I ever will necessarily, but I’ve taken a lot out of this book about writing in general. I hope that I will continue to grow in my writing as a result. I am equally glad that there are people who put so much thought and energy into punctuation as I am that I’m not one of them.
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To buy this book, click here.
This short week has me all off kilter. Sorry for posting this so late putting up my post for Booking Through Thursday. A special thanks to Devourer or Books, whose excellent post on this week’s question reminded of what day it is.
What is reading, anyway? Novels, comics, graphic novels, manga, e-books, audiobooks — which of these is reading these days? Are they all reading? Only some of them? What are your personal qualifications for something to be “reading” — why? If something isn’t reading, why not? Does it matter? Does it impact your desire to sample a source if you find out a premise you liked the sound of is in a format you don’t consider to be reading? Share your personal definition of reading, and how you came to have that stance.
In the younger, idealistic days of my early to mid-20s, I prided myself for having “taste” in books. I would look down at anyone reading a book written by a living author. There were enough proven novels written in the past for me to even bother with something new or within my parent’s or grandparent’s lifetime. Today I am much more confident in myself and in my reading*. I sometimes read for education, edification or simple entertainment. Each way, I’m exercising the most precious gift my parents gave me after my birth: a love for learning.
I encourage everyone to read what they want to because it’s what they want to read. Sometimes you may be compelled to read something, but look at that as a challenge. The more you read, the more doors the reading life will open for you.
* I must confess that I still take much pride in having read Ulysses, but I no longer judge those who haven’t. 
After careful consideration, I was able to come up with my 10 books for the Book Awards Challenge II. There were a couple of things I thought about when I made my choices. I already own enough books (for now). I didn’t want to be compelled to buy any more. So, as I was reading through the lists of award winning books, I took into consideration whether I owned the book already. If not, I considered the book if I felt pretty confident that I could rent it from the library. Another thing I took into consideration is whether the book was on the list of the top 106 unread books on LibraryThing.
Here are my choices:
- 1. The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong: This book won the Newberry Award in 1955. I chose this because I had just been writing about how much I remember loving it as a child, even though I can’t really recall what it was about (outside of the obvious indicated by the title). I do not own this book, but I know it’s at the library. As a side note, I would like to find a copy of this book from the 70s. If I ever own this book again, I want it to have the picture I still have in my head from childhood.
- 2. Water for Elephants by Gruen, Sara: I have this novel and have been planning on reading it since the beginning of the year. It won the 2007 BookBrowse award for most popular book. Enough already. I need to stop procrastinating and read this novel.
- 3. Waiting by Ha Jin: I just picked up this novel while on vacation. What perfect timing! It received the 1999 National Book Award. I can’t wait to start this one.
- 4. Jonathan Strange & M. Norrell by Susanna Clark: This novel is somewhat of a leap for me. I’ve really no idea if this is something that I will like or not. Since it’s on the Top 106 Unread Books on LibraryThing and it won the Hugo and World Fantasy Awards for Best novel in 2005. I can easily rent this one from the library and it’s good to take a leap of faith every so often, right?
- 5. The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields: I picked this book up at my company’s first and only book sale about three years ago. I’ve thought it sounded fascinating at the time, but I’ve never opened it. As well as being on the Top 106 Unread Books on LibraryThing list, it won the 1993 Governor General’s Award for English language fiction and the 1995 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.
- 6. A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole: After reading about this author’s tragic suicide, I had to pick this novel up a couple of months ago. It won the Pulitzer Price in 1981, 11 years after Toole’s death. It also made the Top 106 Unread Books on LibraryThing list.
- 7. We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver: There has been much commenting here about this book and when I found it for $1 on vacation, I picked it up. It won the 2005 Orange Award. I know that there are many people who would like to discuss this novel, so it should be interesting.
- 8. The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai: Kiran Desai graduated from Hollins University, where I earned my Master’s Degree. I heard about this novel when it was mentioned in the alumni magazine. I picked it up immediately and planned to read it after The Namesake. I needed something much less heavy after that, so I changed my plans. Unfortunately, I never went back to this book. It won the Man Booker Prize for 2006 as well as the National Book Critics Circle Fiction Award in 2007.
- 9. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy: I bought this book along with two other books during one of Barnes & Nobles’ buy two get one free promotion. I have a sneaking suspicion that I read this book for my first Master’s Thesis project. I could be wrong. If I have, I really liked it. We’ll see. It won the 1997 Man Booker Prize.
- 10. The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood: I’ve had this book for a while now. I’ve tried to start reading it on at least three separate occasions, but it never worked out. Usually that’s not a good sign, but I’m still interested in giving this novel a try. It’s on the Top 106 Unread Books on LibraryThing list and it won the Man Booker Prize in 2000 and the Hammett Prize in 2001.
That is 10 books from at least five different awards. My last three choices all won the Man Booker Prize, but two of them also won other awards, so I think that should be okay. If not, there are plenty of other novels from which I can choose.
I’m excited to get started and kill three birds with one stone: complete this challenge, read several unread selections from the Top 106 Unread LibraryThing books list, and, since I own all but two of the books, make a dent in my ever-growing TBR pile.
Through Joy’s Blog, I discovered a link to the Book Award Reading Challenge blog. They are getting ready to start a 10 award winning book challenge over 10 months (August 1, 2008 through June 1, 2009). There are a few simple rules, the most significant being that the books qualifying for the challenge must come from 5 different awards. There is a long list of eligible book awards to choose from, so it shouldn’t be hard to find 10 coming from at least 5 of those. I need to look through those award listings and come up with my 5. I’m hoping that this will be a good way to get through some of my TBRs. I need a push to read some of these and hopefully that will work out. I’ll post my selections by the end of the week.
I’ve not really participated in a formal challenge like this and I was excited to sign up. It’s limited to 100 participants. I was #38. If you would like to join with me, sign up and then let me know.
Brought to us by The Boston Bibliophile:
So the question this week is- how many books do you have cataloged in your LibraryThing account? How do you decide what to include- everything you have, everything you’ve read- and are there things you leave off?
I have 353 books cataloged on my LibraryThing account. I have included much of what I own. I’ve also included everything I’ve read since I started this blog even if I didn’t own or keep the book. I thought long and hard about this, but I decided that was okay. If I don’t have the book and it’s listed, I’ve published my review for it. I also use the Private Notes to indicate things like ARCs, library books, etc…
The books I don’t have listed right now are books from my young adulthood that are still in Michigan with my parents and those on a couple of smaller bookshelves in our basement. Our laptop doesn’t get great reception in the basement and I have been too lazy to bring them up.
Thanks to Devourer of Books, I now know that:
I’m A Prayer for Owen Meany!
by John Irving
Despite humble and perhaps literally small beginnings, you inspire
faith in almost everyone you know. You are an agent of higher powers, and you manifest
this fact in mysterious and loud ways. A sense of destiny pervades your every waking
moment, and you prepare with great detail for destiny fulfilled. When you speak, IT
SOUNDS LIKE THIS!
I’ve never read this book, but it’s on my TBR – now up to the very next slot. What book are you?
Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.
When I was in the 7th grade I decided that I wanted to be an archaeologist. I cannot remember for the life of me what it was that triggered my interest in this adventurous and unusual career. In the 8th grade my middle school offered a week long camp and one of the activities was archeology. I still have the box full of “treasures” I discovered in a Michigan park. I would have won an award for my archeological talents except for one flaw: I was too impatient. I kept moving from square to square when I wasn’t finding anything. For those of you who know me, this won’t come as a surprise at all. Patience in the face of upcoming surprises, both known and unknown, is not my strong suit.
I never did pursue a career in archeology. Just as with patience, math and science are not my strengths. Also, I have a weak stomach. After watching my first Indiana Jones movie, I was ready to retire to the calmer pastures of Political Science and English. Still, I enjoy reading about archeology and what modern archaeologists are up to. I don’t know if you caught the news that an archaeologist believes he has located Cleopatra’s tomb over the holiday weekend. The timing of the publication of this article is perfect given that it coincided with the premier of the new Indiana Jones movie. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but I can’t wait! I hope that you liked it if you’ve seen it. Let me know!
The timing of this archaeological find was also perfect for Michelle Moran, the author of Nefertiti. She is getting ready to publish The Heretic Queen, a sequel to Nefertiti in September. I haven’t read Nefertiti yet, but it’s on my list and just came out in paperback this week.
In preparation for The Heretic Queen, Michelle has a really fun contest based upon the hieroglyphics used for the book cover. Click here. If you correctly translate the hieroglyphics, you might be one of two lucky people to win a 14 kt gold Nefertiti pendant, some Nefertiti chocolates, and a signed book! I really had fun with this contest and I think you will, too.
So, get into the spirit of your inner archaeologist and enter this contest. If you win – and I promise I won’t be (too) bitter if you do and I don’t – please let me know. I’m dying to find out about those chocolates.
Trauma
by Patrick McGrath
Trauma tells the story of Charlie, a divorced psychiatrist who specializes in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Charlie has spent his life taking care of his mentally ill mother and a brother-in-law who suffered from PTSD as a result of his tours of duty in Vietnam. After his brother-in-law dies, he ends his marriage, unable to cope with his guilt. After his mother dies, Charlie finds himself emotionally orphaned and without someone in his personal life to fix. What’s a psychiatrist to do living like that?
This novel takes place in New York City during the 70s and perhaps 80s. The Twin Towers are being built and viewed from many angles throughout the novel and are almost a character themselves, symbolizing stability in a city full of disillusioned Americans struggling to deal with the aftermath of the Vietnam War. I found this to be the best, most subtle, and thought-provoking commentary on our current war. The reader is free to draw one’s own conclusions or even not notice it at all because there is no break in the narrative to make a political statement. In the end, the novel is more timeless this way. While the story itself will always have a specific time and place in history, there is no blatant political commentary targeted at a 2008 audience that will interfere with readers 100 years from now.
I have always enjoyed Patrick McGrath, the more Gothic the better. This novel isn’t his most Gothic, but he is in great form. It reads quickly and is entertaining and interesting. I prefer Asylum to this and all of his other novels, still I found the tension to be perfect. Even after mulling Charlie over for the past few days, I’m still not sure if he is a reliable narrator. To me, this is a good thing. This way I am able to look back on a novel both with trust and full of questions. Each view provides an interesting twist. Of course, the mother is always to blame which ever way you slice it, but that’s another story.
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To buy this book, click here.
Last Night at the Lobster
by Stewart O’Nan
It’s been a long time since I’ve read a novella. I actually can’t recall the last one I read. Stewart O’Nan certainly breathes life back into this genre for me with Last Night at the Lobster, the story of Manny, a New England Red Lobster manager coming to terms with the closing of his restaurant and the difficulty he has to comes to terms with any kind of closure in his life.
Manny is a model employee. He is somewhat of a perfectionist at work, strictly following company policy despite the fact that the current work day is the last his restaurant will be open. Those times during the day that he does bend policy, such as comping lunch for the staff who comes to work on that day, his conscience niggles at him afterwards. Although there is conflict in the workplace, he is a well liked as a manager even by those he isn’t taking with him to the Olive Garden in a nearby town. In fact, he’s equally shocked that those he isn’t taking with him showed up on that blizzard depressed day as he is by those promised continued work who did not.
Manny expends most of his energy over-analyzing the recent loses in his life – his beloved abuela, his position at the Red Lobster, and his somewhat illicit affair with Jackie, one of his employees. Despite the fact that he has Deena, a woman pregnant with his child, waiting for him to celebrate the holidays, he can’t help but think about Jackie and why on earth she showed up for the last day of work. He tries as best as he can to reconcile or at least find peace with his romantic and professional future, but his thoughts about the past are falling upon him as heavily as the snow.
Manny has a “table touch” approach to life. He glosses over issues that arise by making promises that are ultimately meaningless in order to bring about resolution. This might work well for him as a restaurant manager, but it underscores an emptiness he brings into his relationships with others. This is made most evident as he thinks rather allusively throughout the day about the pivotal moment in his relationship with Jackie. It is here that she made her choice to stop seeing him romantically. He sees only what her choice cost him, not what her choice cost her or why she made that decision in the first place.
I really enjoyed getting to know Manny through his obsessive thoughts and his interactions with his employees and patrons. There were times where I wished that I could have reached in and told him to completely pay attention to himself and what goes on around him. He already feels as though he does and that is what really makes him come to life for me. He tries his best and when that’s not good enough, he keeps trying. And this is what makes him a good manager, even on the last night at the Lobster.
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To buy this book, click here.
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